If Square Enix Does Another Final Fantasy IV Remake…

Final Fantasy IV might be the most ported Final Fantasy game. Cecil is on everything from Super Famicom to your iPhone. We asked the Square Enix mobile team about the challenges when you bring a DS game to iOS.

"This may not be a ‘challenge’ per se in terms of technology, but the element that we put the most thought in is the UI. The original games were made with the intention of utilizing a controller pad with directional arrows and various buttons, so we had to go through much trial and error to optimize the controls on mobile devices."

"For example, in a game that originally required the player to hit the ‘Y’ button to open a map, would have to be redesigned on a mobile device to have a ‘map’ button somewhere on the screen. In that case, we will have to consider many different factors – such as ‘will it get in the way of gameplay?,’ ‘How often would such a button be used?,’ ‘Is it easy to press?,’ ‘Will it be prone to getting hit by mistake?,’ etc – as we think about its best placement, size, design and so forth. There have been cases in which we had to go back and redo certain elements after we created them, especially once we found problems with ease of control or usability."

From sprites to 3D graphics and back to (high resolution) sprites, Final Fantasy IV has been presented in a couple of different styles and with various gameplay systems. Final Fantasy IV Advance lets players add Palom, Porom, and other "injured" characters to their party at the end of the game. Final Fantasy IV for the DS and now iOS has an augment system where you can inherit abilities from party members that leave your group. Finally, Cecil can show Leviathan how well he sings. We asked what Square Enix would like to do if they remade Final Fantasy IV again.

"The DS had first incorporated 3D graphics, but the characters were in a simplified form. If there is a demand for it, I would love to do a full remake of the game with realistic 3D characters."

Even though The World Ends With You: Solo Remix and Final Fantasy IV are not available for Android, Square Enix says they are committed to releasing their games on Android too. "We have received support from many, many fans on both platforms. As a result, we are looking forward to continuing to provide high quality games to both platforms."

They should give FFIV a break and start milking V and VI. Then they can milk IV some more before moving onto VII and VIII, milk it some more and move onto FFIX. After after they can milk IV for however long they like.

M’iau M’iaut

There’s a day we are going to learn there was an actual reason VI has been completely ignored. Can’t say I can imagine that reason is a good one, but there is no other explanation for nothing to have been done outside of one PS1 compilation disk.

Barrylocke89

Don’t forget the GBA version. Unlike the PS1 version, that version actually added a few things.

M’iau M’iaut

You got me on that one. Still not much of an excuse why new gamers have to work so hard to find such an amazing experience, when what many would consider the ‘least’ of the middle trilogy has been so done to death.

$36598391

SquareEnix needs to remake Xenogears

Yerld_CK

Some producers are just more active about pushing ports, remakes, sequels, etc.

Takashi Tokita has been big on supporting his past creations, such as Final Fantasy IV and Hanjuku Hero. On the other hand, Koichi Ishii really didn’t care if the old Seiken Densetsu games were ever ported or remade.

Pockystix

I think the only way I can see them making an FFIX remake is if they do nothing to the story, add no voice work, fix up some of the minor hiccups (bugs and some algorithms), and make it HD. Hell, they basically don’t really have to even do much for it. Reason. . . I don’t trust current console-dev teams in Square right now.

Actually, if they remade FFIX for the 3DS/PSV it’d be great. . . though odd, as you can just play the original on the PSV as well lol

I actually played FFIX the other month for the first time and enjoyed it. It’s my favourite FF strangely considering the others have some huge nostalgic value. It’s aged extremely well.

FFIX can probably be easily remade on the 3DS. Just a few tweaks (e.g. load times between battles eliminated, some graphical improvements), and it’s a matter of translating the code. Its graphics are pretty close to 3DS and the style is close to FFIVDS’s chibi-style already.

I personally don’t see a large audience nowadays who would buy classical FFs (V, VI, IX) on console (VII and VIII maybe). So an HD console remake might be too much work for little reward/profit. They’re better off going back to classical FFs with a new instalment (which might also bring back a lot of fans whom they lost over the past few instalments).

SetzerGabbiani

Why are they so stuck on FFIV? It’s a great game, but (arguably) not the greatest in their 16-bit catalogue. I hope FFV and especially FFVI eventually get a fraction of the support FFIV has received.

Minos

They are scared of touching VI, if they screw up Fans wont forgive them.

Regarding V, they would need to re-create all the costumes, and that would mean work, and this is Squenix so…

Elvick

I certainly know I’ll never forgive Square if they screw up on FFVI.

I mostly just want to see Terra transform into her Esper form for the first time in CG. I had hoped Dissidia would at least allow me something, but nope.

And at the rate we’re going, if they do it, they’ll just go with ingame cutscenes. ):

I want mah CG. They can’t ruin that. Their CG has always been top notch.

brian yep

And hey maybe some actual new games instead of ports?

Barrylocke89

To be fair, Final Fantasy Dimensions is a new game and that just recently came out in the West.

Warboss Aohd

its just a cash grab.

Barrylocke89

From what I’ve seen, Dimensions looks like it’s a decent game. Flawed, but decent.

All The Bravest on the hand…feel free to call that a cash-grab :P

Warboss Aohd

thats the one i was actually referring to………no idea wot dimensionz iz.

Guest

V and VI please on 3DS/Vita

KingGunblader

PLEASE NO MORE IV.

…PLEASE.

AJ

I heard a rumor that Final Fantasy IV is being implanted into newborn’s skulls in hospitals in Japan. ULTIMATE PORT!

If they are going too use realistic character models, why not from Dissidia? It’s a decent start, I mean I love Bartz model. And please… no more Final Fantasy IV… I actually tired of all these ports and remakes of it.

OverlordZetta

Make a remake for the Vita and I’ll make it the first Final Fantasy I play more than twenty minutes.

scratchbach

I’ve been playing the iPad version lately, and it looks absolutely stunning. We don’t need another remake of IV, though- I’m hoping for V.

Enough remakes! I’m all for porting older games to newer devices so younger gamers can experience them, but no more remakes! No VI, no VII, just XV. Or even better, a new IP that doesn’t need a sequel!

crazymutter

I’ve had enough of the IV and III ports/remakes .__. It’s great they tried to bring some of the games to a new generation but older fans are probably just plain bored of hearing news of the same games sent out on a “new” system.

Agreed.
With a more refined Junction system and the bits of story they cut on the original put on it would be a game I’d get day 1. Screw the haters.

… But of course first things first! Justice on the remake line! V and VI must have the proper justice they need! I can wait for VII, VIII and IX, I mean they’re already on 3D so… yeah.

almostautumn

Sorry, but FF4: Complete Collection really is just that. That is the definition of remake, and it holds everything that any fan of FF4 can want. I mean, I’m all for a full-scale retail re-release, but at this point I’d much rather they explore a different final fantasy, as in Final Fantasy 6.

Hollowkoopa

FF4 is one of my favorite Final Fantasy but SE just stop remaking it. You are beating it a death horse here. FF6 needs some love why don’t you remake that.

Elvick

If they put in full effort, I’m with ya. If they do something half hazardly with VI then they should stay away.

VI deserves to be remade with love.

Neutron15

change Cecil’s model, make his hair shorter, a full remake, combine FF
IV, IV inerlude and IV After The Years into one game and put it into the
3ds

Charles

V and VI 3DS + X/X-2 and XII HD please!

Warboss Aohd

need moar 3D FF6 with Ultros as party member.

Gmoyajp

Woulden’t mind another remake if it’s gonna be done in a realistic characters, for me the 3D sprites didnt cut it, prefer 2D sprites soo much it’s just awesome in 2D!! anyways we do need more love in final Fantasy V but dont give us a 3D sprite models no thanks! realistic yes please.

Gmoyajp

instead dont touch FF series anymore and give us a Remake of Seiken Densetsu 2 and give us 3!!

Detrimont

disagree with the FF comment, but do fully agree with the secret of manga part

Gmoyajp

well with the Final Fantasy series, if there not giving us V and VI then dont bother unless it’s a realistic 3D models but yeah eather that, bleh it.

Detrimont

i agree with that then, i thought you meant all of the series, future games included

So far, the future is bleak for the FF series with Toriyama at the helm of the Next Gen titles.

Gallen

They have pretty much killed the mana series, just let it rest in peace.

Gmoyajp

if you mean by dawn of mana and heroes of mana yes i agree but still heck i want a remake for Secret of mana and they need to give us 3 witch will be 2 here. i have waited since 1999 >.<

Lester Paredes

Man, FF4 is good and all, but how many times are you gonna repackage it? Seriously, don’t complain if nobody buys it. You’ve released it on everything!

Syn

If they will make any remake for any of the games from the SNES era, I say use those already existing(and their HD counterparts used in the cinematics dissidia models as a starting point, they have already got so many assets with them( overdrives etc, and who knows how much more wasnt included), so for the most part I say for any remake that comes out this coming gen, let them be with models like those as a basis, all the systems out right now can more than handle them.

Elvick

Honestly, I’d buy a good full remake in 3D. I *hate* the DS remakes.

I think they should, for 3D at least, go big or stick to 2D.

I adore mah PSP remakes. I wish III had gotten one as well.

Haseyo

I love the graphics of the DS remakes, but the difficulty boost in IV’s remake was brutal.

Wake

O sweet. While they’re at it, they should make an FF game and call it Type-0 and not release it in the US. Sarcasm aside, Square did great for FFIV. The DS remake was fantastic and I loved the high-res sprite treatment it got for the PSP. The latter was a trend I really wanted to catch on. Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana etc… Square’s library is just full of RPG’s begging to get that high-res treatment. Well, Final Fantasy VI’s 20th anniversary is coming up. I hope they have something in store for us.

Guest

I’m pretty sure I replayed Final Fantasy IV like 5 times already, so don’t go making another Final Fantasy IV remake and expect me to buy it -_-“…

Tom

I don’t really like these bubble-head style Final Fantasy remakes. Cecil and Kain really worked in Dissidia. How about stop making remakes of Ff4 and other mobile games and concentrate on real AAA titles like versus XIII or bring us Type-0.

AJ

I enjoyed 4, but I’m not gonna lie – I never have beaten it. The endgame is too level grindy even for me.

And the DS remake – the one with the original difficulty level – actually kind of made me hate IV. (A 50/50 chance of insta-death from random encounters is not “hard”, “hard” implies skill can overcome it, this is chance, chance is “stupid”.)

I’m okay without a V and VI remake/port/whatever considering it is available on the GBA. It would be cool to have a DS or 3DS cart with all the GBA final fantasies available (I, II, IV, V, VI)…..but that’ll never happen.

I’m not someone who cries out for a FF7 remake, but it seems odd that they’ve said no to that until they make a better FF game, and yet are all on board to remake FF4 with current graphics.

Marcus J. Hopkins

The reason S-E keeps releasing the game in various iterations is simple – it’s not just a good game, it’s a great game. It is arguably one of the best in the series, and as such, people will buy it (myself included).

That doesn’t preclude other titles from being released, but their obvious dearth of creative genius being what it is (Final Fantasy XIII, XIII-2, XIII-3, et cetera ad nauseum), they have no choice but to re-release games from when their company actually put out products worthy of purchase.

MT1210

There is a limit to how many times I want to get hit by Zeromus’ “Big Bang” attack.

Final Fantasy IV is definitely my favorite of the SNES era, but I disown the DS remake. The PSP port was amazingly done. I don’t know how I would feel about FF4 using realistic character models, because then that means Nomura would have to get involved and add his own personal “style” so the characters would render better in 3D.

Ricewarrior

Kind of sad really.

With all these ports and remakes, it’s just telling me that Square Enix would rather rely on their past successes than make new ones.

Shows that they have little faith in their creative team. Though with their recent releases, I don’t blame them.